Hikari Hanazono
| }} Hikari is the accomplished protagonist of the story and is ranked 2nd in the school.She made Kei Takishima as her rival because he is ranked 1st in the school. She is also Kei's girlfriend and he became her fiancee in chapter 91. Appearance Hikari is 157cm tall and has a slender body. Her eyes are purple. She has long black hair which is usually worn down, but is put in pigtails when she is doing sports or cooking. Hikari is usually seen wearing her SA uniform. When she is exercising or doing anything athletic, she wears an orange t-shirt with a yellow collar, white sweats with an orange strip running down the side. Personality She is energetic and kindhearted, but rather dense to more subtle matters, in particular, love. Hikari is a very considerate girl who always worries about others. She tends to lack common sense and is usually unaware towards how people regard her. Her upbeat and optimist personality, straightforwardness, and tendency to always see the good in people sometimes prevent her from realizing the more subtle aspects of relationships. Hikari is also quite rash and can't say no to a challenge, especially when it comes to Kei. She never gives up on anything and is always willing to help a friend in need. She gets really annoyed whenever Kei calls her "Miss Rank Two" or Second Place. She tries her best and inspires others to do the same. Hikari is a very honorable opponent who never cheats and has the ability to easily forgive someone who does, like the Student Council President. Even though she wants to beat Kei very badly, yet she refuses to try anything underhanded. She believes in winning fair and square. She also encourages everyone to overcome their sadness and loneliness and tries her best to befriend them. Hikari is very hard working, which is stated even by Kei, who called her an amazing person. She has a habit of praising and encouraging people who work hard and thrives to make everyone happy. Background Unlike her peers, she comes from an ordinary family and her father is a carpenter. When she was six years old, she experienced her first defeat and humiliation when she lost to Kei Takishima in a pro-wrestling match. In order to beat Kei, Hikari convinced her father to allow her to attend the prestigious Hakusen Academy and strives to defeat Kei at anything, from academics to athletics. She has been together with the rest of the SA since elementary school. Hikari also has an elder brother. Plot At the age of six, Hikari's father used to train her in pro-wrestling. There was no one who could defeat her, that is, until she met Kei. She couldn't stand the humiliation from that match and strives to beat him at everything, from academics to athletics. Now as an high school student, Hikari heads out for school, after promising to her father that she will definitely surpass Kei. She is now the student of the prestigious Hakusen academy. At her school, all the students greet her with respect and honor, something she isn't very fond of. She is then greeted by one of her best friend and fellow SA, Akira. The two of them arrive at the Green House, the usual gathering of the SA, where they find Jun, Megumi and Ryū in their usual routines. Tadashi, in an awful appearance, arrives and surprises the two of them. The group starts having tea and snacks when Hikari inquires about Kei, and is surprised at his arrival. He teases her by calling her "Miss Rank two". The two of them decide to have a box vaulting challenge, and Hikari ends up loosing again. Later, Hikari is seen studying, with Akira offering her some tea. The next day, Ryū tells Hikari that he, Jun and Megumi are going to have a recital. Some students, namely Nakamura, Ogawara and Takahashi, criticize them for having such a program right before the exams. However, they leave when Kei intervenes. Hikari then leaves a letter for Kei. Before Kei could ask about it, they hear some noise in the school building even though its night. Thinking that its a thief, Hikari runs off to catch it and finds that its the same students from before and they are stealing the question file for the coming exam. They offer that they would let her cheat too, but she refuses at once. Once again, Kei intervenes and he, along with Hikari, takes down the intruders. After they leave, Hikari wishes him Happy Birthday, much to his surprise. He realizes that the letter must have been for the same purpose. Hikari then presents him the recital from SA. Kei asks her if she has ever heard Jun and Megumi perform before. Hikari is surprised as Akira asked the same question to her before. She watches as Akira, Tadashi and Ryū put earplugs in their ears. Before Kei could stop them, they start performing and as a result, something like a explosion is shown to have engulfed the entire school. The next day, Hikari happily shows Akira that she scored full in the exams. The others think that she must have received the maximum marks, but Kei shows up and tells them that he pointed out a mistake in the test and the teacher had to offer him 5 additional points, which gives him five more points than Hikari. He again teases her by calling her "Miss Rank two", and an annoyed Hikari tells him not to do so. Once again, all the members of the SA have received the same ranks. Kei teases Hikari as usual by calling her "Miss Rank two". The SA then gather in the Green House for tea, but Hikari is studying hard. She and Kei start bickering about who can read more books while performing awkward tasks. They come at a stop after the arrival of the Student Council President, who recently got discharged from the hospital. He tells the SA that they are too full of themselves and he does not likes the fact that they are always the center of attention. He presents a written challenge to them. Hikari seems to impressed by his courage and hard working nature and praises him, something that creates a dark aura around Kei. He angrily accepts the challenge. The contest turns out to be a pro-wrestling match between the SA and the Fankyu brothers, which makes Hikari quite excited. She, along with Kei, decides to participate. While training, they almost wreck the entire gym. Hikari proposes another challenge to Kei for the upcoming match. The one executing the most attacks will win and the winner can make the looser do one thing for him/her. When they resume their training, the Student council, president is shown to be spying on them. He is somewhat scared to see their skill and decides to switch to underhanded methods. While returning, Hikari has a near miss from a pot that fell from the roof. Something similar happens on the stairs when she almost slips due to some spilled oil and is attacked by some bamboo sticks. She realizes that some strange things have been happening lately. Somewhere else, Kei too was attacked by a group of people and found out that they were also aiming for Hikai. He rushes to her aid and finds her in the gym. He tells Hikari that he would like her to switch places with either Ryū or Tadashi, adding that she might be a burden for him. Hikari is later seen practicing martial arts, while wondering why Kei called her a burden. She thinks that its the same as saying that she will never be able to beat him. She walks into Kei and insists that she will definitely participate. On the day of the match, Hikari and Kei are seen waiting in the sitting room. Someone arrives with a bouquet and claims that its a delivery from the student council. It turns out that it was actually a trap, and the two of them are handcuffed. Because of the handcuffs, they face some trouble in fighting during the match. Kei tries to protect Hikari, but realizes that it cant continue for much longer. He sends Hikari out of the ring and starts enduring the attacks himself. Hikari becomes even more frustrated when Kakei calls her a burden. This angers Kei and he states that Hikari is an incredible person who cannot be defeated by anyone, except him. He breaks the handcuffs and the two of them easily defeat the Fankyu brothers with their special moves. After the match, Hikari tells Kei that he must make sure to stay number one until the day she beats him, which makes him smile. Kakei is seen sneaking out, but Hikari spots him and advices that he personally challenges them next time, which brings a blush on his face. He does state that he wont loose next time. Later, Kei tells Hikari the result of challenge she mentioned earlier, stating that the number of moves executed were 16-15 and he won. The SA are once again relaxing in the Green house, with Hikari asking Kei about what she must do for him since he won the challenge. Kei says that he would like her to make a bento for him. Next day, Hikari arrives and asks Akira if she can borrow the SA Kitchen, since her Mom didn't allow her to cook at home because she usually destroys the entire kitchen. Akira seems mad at Kei as she thinks that he is forcing her "angel Hikari" to make a bento for him. Hikari makes a bad start for the bento. She isn't able to wash the rice properly and spreads it everywhere. She then applies too much force and her hand goes through the dish. Not ready to give up, she gives another try but fails again. A terrified Akira flees from the place, with an excuse that her stomach isn't feeling good. Kakei is seen to be peeping inside the kitchen. He gets very excited and thinks that Hikari is making the bento for him. After Hikari takes the rice out of the cooker, it seems to have been turned into stone. She takes a round-shaped rice ball to Kei, while the others are shocked to see it. Hikari trips and falls, and the rice ball sinks in the ground. In spite of that, Kei insists on eating it, but Hikari snatches it and eats it herself. She goes back to the kitchen to re-do it. Kei goes after her and says that there is no need for her to force herself, however, Hikari has no plans of giving up. Hikari again washes the rice, but it seems to have been liquified. She goes to the library to find a rice that wont break even if she applies too much force. After finding it, she once again starts cooking, but this time, a blast follows. Akira, who came to check on her, offers help but Hikari refuses. Tadashi arrives and says that Kei doesn't really cares as long as its handmade. He says that Kei has never eaten a homemade bento because in his household, both of his parents work. After hearing this, Hikari agrees to let Akira help her. Hikari finally finishes the bento, but before Kei could eat it, Kakei grabs it instead. However, he becomes stiff after tasting it and calls it terrible. Kei glares at Kakei with a killing aura around him, which makes him flee from the place. He then sadly watches Hikari as she picks up the rice ball. She apologizes for making suck an awful bento. However, Kei still eats it and states that they are delicious. After eating, Kei heads out to "slowly end Kakei's life". Hikari then says that next time, she will make a bento for the others as well, though they are completely against the idea. The SA are having a small picnic in the Green House, where Kei asks Hikari to come to his house because it has been quite sometime since she met his father and he wants to see her. Akira and Tadashi also tag along, Akira because she didn't want to leave Hikari to Kei, and Tadashi because Akira forced him. Kei's father, who actually looks childish, greets Hikari with his pro-wrestling moves, but Kei stops him and Hikari before things heat up. Hikari then comes to know about Sui Takishima, Kei's younger brother. She sees him acting rudely with his tutor, and angrily goes to teach him a lesson but ends up breaking a door. Kei's father tells Hikari that Sui always ignores his teacher and asks Hikari to teach him, as a payback for the door. Next day at the Green House, Akira is in a bad mood as Hikari will have to go to Kei's house daily, something she does not likes. At Kei's house, things dont seem to be going so well between Hikari and Sui, as both of them bicker with each other. Kei comes to check on them and states that things are much worse than he imagined. His father comes over and requests him to attend a meeting with him. Hikari notices that Sui is quietly watching them. When Kei leaves, Sui opens up to Hikari and tells her that whenever Kei attends these meetings, everything seems to work out. Hikari tries to encourage him, but Sui simply says that everything they do is of no use. Next day, Hikari decides to teach Sui to observe nature. However, Hikari and Kei end up having a contest about who can catch more dragonflies, and Kei wins again. An irritated Sui runs away after stating that he despises Kei and calls him a robot behind a human mask. Next day, Hikari tells Kei and Sui to have a sumo match but Sui walks away, saying that he can never match up to his brother's standard. The following day, Hikari tells Sui to work on eye contact. Sui opens up more and tells Hikari that Kei does not cares about him. No matter what he says to him, his expression never changes. Hikari denies it and tells him that when she made a bento for Kei, he happily thanked her. Sui asks if she is in love with his brother, to which she replies that he is her rival. Sui claims that she must have come for Kei, and not him. Hikari grabs Sui, and while looking right into his eyes, she states that she is looking at him and will never avert her gaze. Things seem to be going well, as Sui sits down and does as Hikari says, that is, until Kei shows up. He tells Hikari to stop wasting her time on Sui, which makes him sad and he runs away. Hikari follows him, and while trying to stop him from running away again, her head hits the railing. Sui decides to carry her on his back. Hikari realizes that maybe, Sui wants Kei to turn around and look at him as his big brother. On their way, Sui falls as he is not able carry Hikari's weight alone. Hikari hears Kei's voice and sees his running towards them. Sui is surprised to see him worried. Kei asks Hikari if she is alright, and thanks Sui for bringing her this far. Sui tearfully hugs him, with Kei comforting him. Next day, Hikari is surprised to see Sui in the Green House, and what shocks her even more is when he tells her that he will now study from his own brother, as she is not very effective. Hikari is even more annoyed when Kei asks if she would like him to tutor her, proposing that her grades might improve. Sui arrives at Hikari's house to deliver an invitation letter to her. He tells her that Kei is supposed to attend the birthday party of Yahiro Saiga, his and Akira's childhood friend, and wants her to accompany him to the party so that he wont be bored. Kei arrives and scolds Kei for doing that. He asks Hikari to return the letter but she refuses. Next day, Hikari shows him an ugly looking outfit she sewed herself. He decides to send her to his chauffeur. While her body measurement was being taken, Hikari couldn't stay still due to the uneasiness. Just then, Yahiro arrives and recognizes her. Kei is speechless when he sees Hikari in a beautiful outfit. At the party, Kei leaves to greet some people. On the other hand, Jun, Tadashi and Ryū sneak into the mansion to keep Hikari away from any danger mission assigned to them by Akira. Yahiro finds Hikari outside and tries to make her aware of kei's feelings towards her. He notices that Kei is watching them, and tries to kiss Hikari, stating that if Kei has any feelings for her, he will definitely get angry, which he does. Kei angrily hits Yahiro, and Hikari, shocked by the sudden chain of events, runs away. She is once again found by Yahiro, in his own room, where he tells her that Kei does not sees her as his rival, stating that her standard isn't equal to him. He advices her that as a girl, she should just wear pretty dresses and smile happily. This angers Hikari. Back to the party, Yahiro proposes the idea of playing a game. A girl will be the bait and the other participants will try to catch her. She has to defend herself and reach the rooftop. If she does, she will be announced the winner. As for the girl, he chooses Hikari. Confident that she wont loose, Hikari easily handles any obstacles in her way. Suddenly, Kei appears and pulls her inside one of the rooms, asking her about what Yahiro said and tells her that she should leave this mansion, as he has already prepared a car below this room. But, Hikari decides to continue the game. Already aware that this would happen, Kei decides to take care of the small fries. Hikari easily reaches the rooftop, where Yahiro is waiting for her. he asks her what prize she would like, a villa, jewelry or a car. She refuses and says that she only wants him to acknowledge her as Kei's rival, which he does. When Kei and Hikari take their leave, Yahiro asks about Akira, to which Hikari replies that she is doing fine. Relationships Kei Takishima Kei is seen as a rival by Hikari because she has never beaten him in anything. He likes to tease her by calling her "Miss Rank 2" or "Number 2" and even gave her a key chain that has the number two attached to it. Kei actually has feelings for Hikari but she does not realize it until later on. Soon after learning that, she becomes his girlfriend. Hikari thinks of Kei as her only rival whom she must beat at any cost. That's the reason why she goes to the same school as him. Kei and Hikari are very close friends. Hikari really worries and cares about Kei. She is the one who taught Kei that its better to enjoy things with everyone. Kei's cold and unfriendly personality became more warm and friendly, and he started getting more involved with people. Their closeness can be seen when Kei was sick, as Hikari nursed him all day and even stayed with him at night, something he wasn't expecting. As the series progressed, she realized some complicated feelings towards Kei and the two of them finally end up together.In chapter 91, they engaged and in the final chapter Kei asks her to marry him, to which Hikari replies that she will marry him the day she beats him. Akira Tōdō Akira is Hikari's best friend. Akira often hugs her, and calls her a "cute angel". Hikari also cares about Akira and is very considerate about her feelings. In Episode 13, when Akira was sad and troubled, Hikari bought tea for her, thinking that the reason behind her weird behavior was that she didn't have tea that day. Hikari always helps her whenever she is in trouble, like her marriage interview. Hikari cherishes her a lot. Akira and Hikari always rely on each other, as seen when Hikari was making a "bento" for Kei. She asked Akira to let her use the kitchen. In the end, Akira even helped her in making it. As of Episode 9, Hikari delivered Akira's letter to Yahiro. Tadashi Karino Tadashi and Hikari are close friends. When Tadashi didn't want to attend the marriage interview arranged by her mother, he asked Hikari to be his girlfriend for one day. He told her about his past experiences with his mother and the reason why he works hard to be one of the top five students of the school. Hikari did her best to act as a real girlfriend and the two of them enjoyed the day together. Tadashi showed her his special place in a forest, which turned to be a beautiful lake. Hikari's devotion toward him can be seen when Tadashi's mother told them to kiss in order to prove their relationship. Hikari was ready to kiss him without a second thought, though she told him not to lie to his parents ever again. In the end, Tadashi stops her and states that she always worries about others too much. Ryū Tsuji Ryū and Hikari share a good friendship. In Episode 1, Hikari helped him, Jun and Megumi in organizing their recital. When Nakamura challenged Ryū, Hikari was willing to volunteer in his place, considering that he does not like contests. However, when Ryū found out, he accepted the challenge with a condition that if he wins, Nakamura will never interfere with the SA again. Hikari decided to help Ryū by trying to prepare dinner and feeding the animals. When Ryū didn't arrive on time on the day of the contest, Hikari was worried. However, after he won, she was pleased as well as surprised. Also, Hikari cant stand when someone underestimates Ryū. Jun Yamamoto In Episode 1, Hikari helped him, Ryū and Megumi in organizing their recital. Hikari has also been to his and Megumi's apartment when she was helping Ryū, and was even ready to prepare dinner for them, but they refused at once. Even though Jun is very shy, he still gets along well with Hikari. Megumi Yamamoto In Episode 1, Hikari helped her, Ryū and Jun in organizing their recital. Hikari has also been to her and Jun's apartment when she was helping Ryū, and was even ready to prepare dinner for them, but they refused at once. At first, Hikari had no clue why Megumi uses a notepad to write instead of simply speaking, but later, she realized that its because she wants to protect her voice. Quotes *(To herself) "The end result is important. But whats truly important...is the journey to get there." *(To Kei) "Contests are contests. But on special occasions, we have to celebrate" *(To Kei) "Don't say anymore! Don't you ever dare tell me to.....stop our contest, or not participate in this match. I feel so sad when you say those things to me." *(To Kei) "Takishima. Wait for me! Make sure you stay number one until the day I beat you." *(To The Student Council President) "I almost forgot. After all...festivals are something to be enjoyed by everyone." *(To Kei) "I won't be happy even if I beat you in this contest. Its no good without you. Its better to enjoy fun things with others." *(To Yahiro) "I won this game. So...I want you to recognize me as Takishima's rival." *(To herself) "Takishima has been worried about me all this time? But, in spite of that, I...had only been thinking about myself." *(To Akira and Tadashi) "I've been thinking, the SA is precious to Ryū because...he can have total peace of mind here." *(To Sui) "I am looking at you, Sui. That's why I am here. I'll never avert my gaze. Never. Trivia *Her name ''Hikari means radiance. *Her second name Hanazono means flower garden. *She loves festivals. *She has been together with the rest of the SA since elementary school. Navigation Category:Characters Category:Main Characters Category:Female Characters Category:Special A